Do animals die more in zoos than in the wild?

More than 80 percent of mammals survive longer in zoos than in the wild. This was true even of carnivores, according to study co-author Marcus Clauss, professor of nutrition and biology of zoo and wild animals at the University of Zurich.



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A study of more than 50 mammal species found that, in over 80 per cent of cases, zoo animals live longer than their wild counterparts.

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Polar bears are the animals that do worst in captivity. Carnivores such as polar bears, tigers, cheetahs, and lions are especially poorly suited for life in a zoo, according to a new study. The more an animal roams in the wild, the researchers found, the worse it fares in captivity.

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Zoo's Research Helps Wildlife Studying animals in zoos can create real positive change for wildlife populations. Even if animals in zoos are never introduced to the wild, they still help improve the lives of their counterparts living in nature.

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Do zoos help or harm animals? While some suggest that zoos exploit captive animals and that wild animals should be wild, these facilities also present wildlife conservation attempts and learning opportunities as well. Zoos may introduce trauma to animals, but they are also taken care of in zoos.

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A Change In Behavior As an animal's brain changes, so too do their behaviors. The primary change is that animals lose their some of their natural behaviors including food-finding, avoiding predators, and rearing young, and replace them with stereotypic, destructive behaviors brought on by chronic stress and boredom.

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A study of more than 50 mammal species found that, in over 80 per cent of cases, zoo animals live longer than their wild counterparts.

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Many animals in zoos now receive special diets and supplements, physical therapy, and even chemotherapy if they get sick. Some zoo animals get thorough medical care and end up living far longer than they would in the wild.

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Captive animals seldom learn crucial survival skills and often are too habituated to human contact. Lacking a natural fear of humans, they are vulnerable to poachers and ill equipped for life in the wild.

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Animals in captivity across the globe have been documented displaying signs of anxiety and depression.

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According to National Geographic, an estimate of 80 per cent of zoo animals experience zoochosis.

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“Zoos allow us to experience nature and are a great resource for understanding more about conservation, biodiversity and sustainability, as well as bringing many positive benefits to human mental health and well-being.”

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Some zoo managers believe that the killing of young and healthy animals is a responsible way of managing zoo populations, as space and funds are limited, or even as a form of enrichment.

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What Are Some Pros and Cons of Zoos?
  • Animals Often Only Have Quite Limited Space. ...
  • Zoos Are Crowded. ...
  • Animals Are Trapped in Unnatural Environments. ...
  • Confinement May Alter the Behavior of Animals. ...
  • 'Surplus' Animals Can Be Killed. ...
  • Animals Are Often Mistreated. ...
  • Animals Don't Like Being Visited. ...
  • Animals Struggle to Form Connections.


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Efforts to conserve species have resulted in saving at least 48 mammals and birds from extinction since the early 1990s. The rates of extinction would have been three or four times higher if actions like captive breeding hadn't been taken, according to a recent study in Conservation Letters.

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Animals brought from the wild into captivity, on the other hand, may suffer from chronic stress even if their basic physical needs are met. In part, this may be because wild animals perceive captive environments as threatening in and of themselves.

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